4 Signs It’s Almost Winter Break in College

You know that moment when Christmas songs are playing on the radio, but you feel like a Grinch because you have more homework and studying to do in the next three weeks than you’ve had all semester…? Pretty sure we all do. That’s the first sign it’s almost time for winter break.

1. Tired has a new meaning

All semester long, you’ve been tired. By this point you’ve forgotten what it feels like not to feel tired. Up until now you’ve been able to get away with using coffee as a cure for your sleep deprivation. The moment that coffee stops doing it for you, that’s when you know it's almost time for winter break. Last week, I went to bed at 7:30pm, and slept until 7:30am. There was literally not a single cell in my body that could stay up a moment longer… sorry Dr. K… my finance homework isn’t getting done.

2. Procrastination reaches new levels

Speaking of homework… all of that stuff you said you’d get to later, well, it’s later! I decided not to work on my huge marketing project or my huge communication project over Thanksgiving break, and then I put minimal effort in the week I got back from Thanksgiving. I had two other tests to worry about, but I could still get it done later, right? Well, later ended up being me up until 2:00am every night for a week, trying to get my projects done… I’m just glad my group members were all in the same boat. If you’re like a whole semester behind on work because you procrastinated, well, don’t worry. It will be over soon because it’s almost winter break!

3. Your meal swipes are being stretched thin

At the beginning of the semester, it feels like you have enough meal swipes to last forever… but now you have 20 days left in the semester, and only eight meal swipes. Now you’re sitting there wondering how many different types of ramen there are, and if you even have enough money to buy ramen because your bank account is screaming. You really shouldn’t have gone out so much this semester. If you’re on that ramen diet, if your bank account is screaming at you, and pretty much all you can think about is getting home for delicious homemade meals with your loving parents who will see your sheer desperation, and loan you some money, then it’s definitely almost time for winter break.

4. The laundry pile is overflowing

Don’t even get me started on the laundry… Since about Thanksgiving you’ve been saying “ehh, I’ll wash it when I go home for Christmas,” and now you’re here, a week and a half away from Christmas break without any clothes. You should have washed your damn clothes! Now when you go home, instead of packing a nice bag of stuff, you’re going to have a car full of your musty clothes, and you’re going to convince yourself that it’s okay to continue wearing your unwashed clothes until you go home because you’re too freaking tired to wash and fold them. This is how you know it's almost time for winter break… guys, do your laundry ahead of time. TRUST ME.

Other end-of-the-semester side effects include headaches, colds, procrastination, aching, hating, dreading, fever, stress-induced laughter, stress-induced crying, panic attacks, mental breakdowns, too much alcohol, lying to yourself saying everything is alright, senioritis, brain shut-down, memory loss, assignment loss, and loss of sanity.

Just remember that soon it will be over, so relax. You’ll be fine. Winter break, here we come!